NEWS RELEASE Concordia Publishing House 3558 South Jefferson Ave. St. Louis, Missouri 63118-3968 CONTACT: Gretchen M. Jameson, Corporate Communications Phone: 314.268.1298 email: gretchen jameson@cph.org For Immediate Release Christmas Picture Book Tells the Story Behind the Popular Christmas Carol, Silent Night Mice played a role, but that's only part of the story ‘Twitter Pitch: Eeeek! Mice. That’s how the legend of the carol, Silent Night begins. Find out more @concordiapub. http:lipitch.pe/26395 ‘Summary: Silent Night from Concordia Publishing House shares the legendary story behind the popular Christmas carol, “Silent Night. Saint Louis, MO—'Legend says that mice chewed through the bellows of the church organ, thus begins the story of ‘Silent Night,” says Ken Liszewski, manager of books for Concordia Publishing House (CPH). CPH introduces the story of the hymn in the new Christmas children's book, Silent Night. “Silent Night takes a whimsical approach to a Christmas legend without pushing the story toward fantasy," says Peggy Kuethe, senior editor of children’s and family books and women's resources, at CPH. “Many children’s books tell this story through the mice—the mice become characters,” Kuethe continues. ‘We include the mice here because they're part of the legend, but the focus of this bbook is on the two men who worked together to share the story of the Savior's birth through a hymn.” The book shares that one Christmas Eve in the early 1800s, the mice in the Church of St. Nicholas in the village of Oberndorf disabled the organ by chewing a hole in the leather bellows. ‘There would be no organ music that night. Father Joseph Mohr had earlier written a Christmas poem and he asked organist and choirmaster Franz Gruber to set the words to music. “Joseph Mohr writes and sings the simple song ‘Silent Night,’ accompanied only by guitar, and ‘shows the parallel of a humble Christmas carol to Jesus’ humble birth," says Liszewski Kuethe shares, "This hymn has become a favorite of generations of people, and rightly so. In the children's book Silent Night, we encourage readers to see that the lyricist and composer were inspired by their faith to write a simple, elegant, and eloquent hymn of praise to our Lord. Resource Links: Social Media Release: http://pitch,pe!26395‘Concordia Publishing House: http:/iww.cph.org CPH Media Room: hitp://eph. mediaroom.com Silent Night: http://bit.y/Grier CPH Children’s Books: http: bit ly/4roVis Concordia Publishing House is a not-for-profit publishing company and the publisher of The Lutheran Chureh—Missouri Synod. The company offers more than 8,000 products for use in Christian congregations, schools, and homes. Visit CPH on the Web at http://www. cph.org. Media Resources: (Scribd \View this or previous releases or download via Word or POF on Scribd < ate News Facts: + Author Vicki Howie has written collections of children's plays, songs, mimes, and crafts as well a8 a number of books. She lives in the south of England with her husband and two teenage children, + Illustrator Kriszta Kallai Nagy has her own design and illustration business. She and her husband, Janos, and daughter Bori, live in Budapest. Tags Concordia+Publishing+House, Silent Night, Children’s Christmas Book, Christmas, Joseph Mohr, Christmas carol